In the Footsteps of Elie Wiesel Writing Contest – 2009-2010 Poetry 3rd place
Poetry Contest
Third Place
Immortal Ruin
By: Aidan McConnell
Sophomore, Providence High School
Far, far from civilization
Lies a ruin, a decrepit remnant
Of an evil so powerful
It consumed a nation, the world.
Behind the twisting, corroded gates,
Lies a terrain stained with blood, sweat and fear
Of a generation
Victimized by blind arrogance.
Work emancipates – What a lie!
Steely words taunt desperate souls.
False hope overshadows
Tolerance that truly liberates.
Spirits flit through the wreckage
Of decaying bunkers, chambers, warehouses
Banshees scream through the Night
Remembering, lamenting their immortality.
Amidst the scattered splinters of wooden boxcars
Along a railroad that extends for eternity
Voices echo across an abandoned plain
Delivering messages of remembrance and regret.
Righteous throngs clamored to reveal
The depths of this abomination,
An awakening, awareness of purpose,
Made sense of this madness.
Memory, recollection, announcements, proclamations
Defined by lessons, manifested by deeds
Reversed a trend of hatred, persecution
Clarified cultures of brethren, as equals.
Where a people once suffered, toiled on scorched earth,
Visitors now stumble through the remains
Of a mausoleum, a memorial
Preserved to prevent, existing to honor innocence.